All public figures, even the saintly Lincoln, are prone to accusations of inconsistency and
hypocrisy, and the longer the tenure the louder the charges. While Jefferson was been
vilified at times throughout his long career, he seemed to emerge from his deathbed
remarkably unscathed, given his many transgressions. In the later nineteenth and
twentieth centuries, the amnesia of history did much to solidify a reputation that was
rarely on solid ground during his checkered and tumultuous life. However, in recent
scholarship, Jeffersons character has begun to suffer once again from a litany of severe
and even virulent criticisms. It is true that many specific details of Jeffersons life remain
obscured, much as he would have wished. But clearly, the day of the blindly venerating
This is the end of the preview.
Sign up
to
access the rest of the document.
- Fall '08
- womer
- Jefferson himself. Try
-
Click to edit the document details